Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-11-12

Americans, as a nation, have two traits
of character which, though directly OPP
posed to each other, work amazingly
well together. Of the many Americans
l have met who are living illustrations
of this fact one Mr.. s., college pro-
fessor, presented the most striking ex-
ample. Whenever a student of his
worked too slowly he would urge him
with that most American of expressions:
"Go ahead go aheadW But if the same
work was being done rashly or superb
cially he would calm him with the never
changing sentence: "Don't be in push"
Before l had visited this country
never knew what to think of its inhab-
itants. One day newspaper item, re-
porting lynching party or an election
campaign, would say that Americans are
the most enthusiastic and excitable peo-
pie on earth. The next day some novel
would tell me about the imperturbabls
composure of Yankees Europeans us9
the word without reference to North -
South, but in the same sense in witch
Frenchmen are called "Mounseers,' En-
glishmen "John Bulls" etc J, and picture
them to be almost as phlegmatic as Hol-
landers. This was confusing; but have
been enabled since to see that both were
right to a certain extent. Their 60 ahead
faculties urge Americans to make new in
ventions, to improve old devices, to abol-
ish cumbersome customs and to introduce
novelties. On the other hand, their sober
afterthought never fails to assert itself,
and their general practical sense keeps
them from acting rashly or pinning their
faith to visionary schemes.
In nothing these two qualities, which
BEAUTIFULLY counteract each other, are as
noticeable as in American newspapers.
Both the daily papers and the so-called
periodicals published in America may be
divided into two classes; namely good and
bad ones. European papers, too, may be
classified as bad ones, and very bad ones.
No European paper has the news in
nutshell column of American dailies, in
which one may find summary of all that
happened within the last twenty-four
hours. Quite to the contrary, they
hardly contain any news at all. They
dish up every day some dry, drawn-out,
indigestible leading article about a sub
ject th.t was of interest week or so ago.
Then they publish by small installments
a feussht0n, namely, a romance or novel,
plinted at the foot of the paper. 1t
is separated from the other matter
by a heavy horizontal line, and
is therefore called the part
under the equator European papers
are full of conventionalities and titles.
A German newspaper would not for all
the world give an item about scavenger,
but would call him IAN imperial city
scavenger." Some time ago l read in
a New York paper that the King of
Holland had shaved his beard off and
looked much the younger for the change.
Yesterday found in Dutch newspaper
this item "His majesty William the
III, Frederic, Paul, &C., King of the
Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxem-
burg, Prince of Orange, Nassau, &C., &C.,
has been graciously pleased to avail Him
self (mind the capital H) of the services
of the royal tonsorial artist, hairdresser
to the court" and so on. The item
stretched through a quarter of column
and did not even tell as much as the
New York paper had in those few words,
because it omitted to say how his majesty
looked after the barber had scraped off
the lather.
European papers are, of course, either
radical or conservative. Some are said
to be liberal, but that is only fiction. A
radical editor is down on everything and
everybody, without quite knowing how
or why. A conservative organ, that is
one on the governments side, is easily
recognized by its style, which is about as
cheerful and brisk as that of the United
States Congressional Record. Such con-
sentative paper knows everything semi
officially. 1t never says: "a tramp has
stolen ger-cake,' but it announces
tremendously that "a story is being cir
culated in diplomatic circles to the effect
that vagrant of the male sex has pur-
Joined some pastry to the amount of one
cent" European papers publish so few
news items and so few articles of interest
that they have mighty little chance for
making errors in statements of fact.
Still, some German papers are so scrupu-
lous as to print, at their headings, not only
the names of the publisher and editor,
but also that of an individual specially
created for the purpose-a responsible
editor. He fills the honorable position
of scapegoat. If the paper is blamed
for anything he comes before the public
as the guilty one. If it sides with the
government the radicals have his name
to pounce upon. And if the paper some
how or other falls at odds with the police
it is he who goes to prison. European
papers are also strong in special CORE
spondence. Such authors as Winterfeld,
HIGHLANDER, Gaboriau, and even painters
of name, have borne the title of "our own
special correspondent" 1t would take
any of them twentyfour hours to do the
work that live reporter of an Ameri-
can daily dashes off between two drinks.
Large Partisan papers have some pecu-
liar institutions which are worth men,
tioning. To save the chief editor from
the constant bother of would-be con-
1